by Janene Roberts

At the last couple of big wine tasting events I've been to–where there are so many wineries you have to do your homework before you attend to make sure you hit the places you want to try–I've been reminded that value and consistency are sometimes better than variety. Most recently at the March Family Winemaker event in Del Mar I took a pause from trying new wineries to double check Rutherford Winery–which was my favorite a few years ago at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival. I found their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon to hold up throughout the tasting and a great value at just $14.99 retail. My impressions were confirmed when I looked up the wine on the internet. Robert Parker included the wine in his "Wine Bargains–The World's Best Wine Values under $25" with this quote "Richly fruity with silky tannins and a lush finish, this is the perfect Cabernet for restaurants to sell by the glass." Look for the wine at Beverages and More, Vons and Cost Plus.

Finally, San Diego is taking notice of local wineries efforts. Did you see the article in last week's Reader? http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/apr/14/cover/
So I want to say, ahem, I've been trying to tell you guys about this for uh, oh I don't know just the last ten years or so. Oh, well, eventually people come around.



I'm excited about being a part of the upcoming WineSellar & Brasserie San Diego Homegrown Wine Event.

I'll be selling my Wine Tasting in Southern California & Beyond guidebook. There will be dozens of wines available for tasting and local winemakers will be there discussing San Diego viticulture and the future of wine in San Diego.

Saturday, May 1: 3:30-6:00PM
$35 Per Person, Includes all Wine!
The WineSellar & Brasserie
9550 Waples Street
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 450-9557

Thornton Winery Brings Jazz Greats to Temecula

by Frank Mangio
The tradition began back in 1988, when owner John Thornton came up with a then novel idea, offer local music on weekends with his wine and food menu to attract new customers. “It started simple 22 years ago. We didn’t charge for admission to the concerts. We just wanted customers to try our wines,” said John as we drank a glass of his 2006 Nebbiolo wine. “Over time, the shows became more organized and took on new life as top Jazz musicians were booked in, the audiences grew and we offered dinner and wine packages in our outdoor fountain terrace setting. This year we have 21 performances”

This year’s concert lineup is the strongest statement yet of the superb musicians that Thornton Winery attracts. Their wine and supper packages provide a total music, food and wine experience with winemaker Don Reha presenting his new releases and chef Steve Pickell of the 5 star Café Champagne pairing perfect menu selections.

The concert schedule goes from April 25 to October 16. I asked Steve Thornton and Events Manager Tonya Wake who the one artist is that has played the most years and is a popular favorite with the 40 members of the concert staff. Without hesitation they both agreed it is premier sax man Dave Koz. “He has been a major part of our success with his warm, personal approach to performing,” commented Steve. “This year he is playing two days in a row, Saturday and Sunday August 28 and 29, with Jonathan Butler.”

Tonya, who is like an orchestra leader, conducting each concert to perfection for 16 years as Events Manager, agreed that Dave Koz is the easiest to work with. John added “his parents, when they were alive, used to come to the concerts and bring me chocolate chip cookies because they knew how much I liked them.” Under Tonya’s guiding hand, all Thornton concerts are a relaxed, intimate affair with a customer and artist-friendly environment. For the full schedule of performers in this 22nd year of the best names in Jazz, go to www.thorntonwine.com. Or call 951-699-0099 and talk to Tonya Wake, the “orchestra leader.”

Dave Koz leads this year’s 22nd Annual Thornton Concert Series.

For Steaks, Seafood and Spirits – Go West
It was a night to remember recently at West Steak, Seafood and Spirits in Carlsbad as the legendary Caymus Vineyards of Napa Valley showcased their premiere wines, paired with a 5 course dinner of unmatched quality by Executive Chef Eugenio Martignago. General Manager Tom Bertrand continues to position West as the quintessential restaurant for taste and dining trends.

This commitment to excellence has been rewarded by the popular Open Table award to West as the #1 Restaurant in San Diego County for 2009. The full house of diners that came to the wine event, led by Caymus Regional Manager Mike Gioia, savored the Caymus 2007 Special Selection Cabernet with Chef Eugenio’s main entrée of Seared Prime Certified Angus Filet Mignon on a bed of Braised Oxtail and celery root puree. The service sparkled as wine and food entrees were on the table on time and at peak taste.

The extensive wine list at West brims with wines of value and premium notoriety. From a delicious, budget style Castello Banfi Centine by the glass to a glorious Joseph Phelps Insignia Meritage, you will find one you will truly love. Check Happy Hour Specials for exceptional bargains. Call West at 760-930-9100.

Wine Bytes
Bacchus Wine Market in the Gaslamp district downtown San Diego is presenting wines from Northern Italy Fri. Apr. 30 from 4 to 9pm. Taste Barbera, Dolcetto, Valpolicella and more. Cost is $15. Details at 619-236-0005.

Lorimar Winery in Temecula Wine Country kicks of their event schedule with Kansas City BBQ, Wine and Blues in the vineyards, Sat. May 1 from 3-8pm. Tickets are $55. pp. Kids under 12 get in free. Smokin’ good tri-tip, ribs and chicken. More info at 951-240-5177.

Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido has a Saxon Brown wine tasting Thurs. May 6, 5:30-7:30pm. This is Sonoma style single vineyard wine like Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Chardonnay. $10. advance, $15. at the door. Learn more at 760-745-1200.

Mama’s Day, the 19th annual benefit for Mama’s Kitchen providing meals for the needy, is Fri. May 7 from 5:30 – 9:30pm at the Hyatt Regency in San Diego. More than 70 of San Diego’s top restaurant chefs will participate, with auctions, music and wine. Pre-sale is $125. pp. At the door it’s $150. RSVP at 619-233-6262.

Roll Out the Barrel returns again this year Sat. May 8 from 5 – 8pm at Humphries by the Bay in the Pt. Loma district of San Diego. Encinitas Meritage Wine Market is helping to coordinate the Make-A-Wish benefit that has 20 restaurants and 40 wineries participating. Tickets are $100. ea. VIP benefits for $175. Go to the website at www.makeawishgala.com.

Banfi Honored as Italy's Top Winery

by Frank Mangio
Castello Banfi, the anchor to the worldwide Banfi Vintners, has been honored again as Italy’s top winery at the annual VinItaly wine fair in Verona, Italy. An international panel, through rigorous blind wine tasting, awarded Banfi Italy’s “Gran Menzione,” the equivalent of the gold medal. It is the 12th time in 17 years that Castello Banfi has been declared Italy’s best winery.

Three generations of the Mariani Family have built Banfi Vintners into a world-wide name in imported wines, from the original Castello Banfi in Tuscany, to other properties in Europe, South America and the new Chateau Tanunda in Australia.

The founders of Banfi Vintners are ( front left to right)
John and Harry Mariani. Present family proprietors are ( upper left to right) Cristina Mariani-May and James Mariani.

The original winery was established in 1978 when John and Harry Mariani purchased 7,100 acres within several vineyards at the base of Montalcino, a medieval village rising 600 meters from the valley floor.

Brunello, a premium clone of the Sangiovse grape of Chianti fame, is their signature wine. The “Castello” is a Romanesqe fortress, masterfully restored as a hospitality center, formal restaurant, taverna, enoteca, glass museum and recently opened five star “ Il Borgo” villas, with luxury rooms and suites.

Names to know in the Banfi family of wines include: Rosa Regale, a festive sparkling wine from Piemonte, perfect as an aperitif when chilled; Don Melchor from Concho Y Toro, Chile’s ultimate Cabernet; and shown in the photo, the Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino, the 100% Sangiovese with a production process of nearly four years plus additional time in bottle before release. Currently the 2004 is available. Characteristics are: intense ruby red, velvety encounters, beautifully integrated tannins with traces of spice. This was the first wine to achieve the ultimate Italian standard of “DOCG” status. Priced at $60. in a majority of wine shops.

Despite hard times for wines (the largest wine distributing company in the world just reported a sales drop of nearly 4% last quarter), Italian wines are up so far this year, with Sangiovese up a whopping 13.8%. Italy beat the other leading U.S. imports by a wide margin. It bodes well for Banfi, especially when wines priced $20. and above showed solid growth in dollar sales and volume. See more at www.banfivintners.com.

Spirits Festival Comes to San Diego June 2-5
If at first you succeed, make it even better next time. Liz Edwards of “Let’s Play Downtown” has San Diego waiting for her 2nd annual San Diego Spirits Festival Wednesday June 2 to Friday June 5. The location is the Hilton San Diego Bayfront next to the Convention Center, with the Grand Tasting Friday on the 4 plus acre Waterfront Park next door. Right now there is a call for exhibitors who are related to the beverage industry, and media alliances are being formed daily. Seminars and competitive tastings are firmed up.

You can get the latest up to date information on this exciting event by tapping into www.sandiegospiritsfestival.com. To speak with the director, call 858-551-1605.

Wine Bytes
Live Jazz and Wine is the feature attracting crowds at WineStyles Wine Lounge in Encinitas with Suzanna Kurner playing Fri. Apr. 23 from 6 to 8:30pm. Wines by the glass or flight, plus pizzas, paninis or cheeses available, from $15. Also live music on Sat. 7 to 9:30pm. Call 760-633-0057.

§ VR Green Farms at Bella Collina Towne and Golf Club in San Clemente is hosting a Sapore Della Domenica (“Flavor of Sunday”) Italian celebration Sun. Apr. 25 from 2 to 6pm. Italian cultural dishes, wine, artisan bread, olive oil, honey and fava bean tasting. Live music, a car rally and artisans. Now that’s Italian! Limited seating at $ 50. pp. Tickets ordered at www.vrgreenfarms.com. Or call 949-697-0032.

§ Firefly Grill and Wine bar in Encinitas is planning a Pahlmeyer Vineyards Wine Dinner on Tues. Apr. 27 starting at 6:30pm. Enjoy this Napa-Sonoma powerhouse and its ’06 Pinot Noir, Merlot, Pahlmeyer Red Blend and other winners. Main course is Braised Beef Cheek from Executive Chef Aaron Daily. These are top tier wines in their prime. $75. ea. RSVP at 760-635-1066.

§ Opolo of Paso Robles is spotlighted at The Wine Encounter in the Hillcrest area of San Diego Tues. Apr. 27 from 7 to 9pm. Cost is $15. For more, call 619-543-9463.

§ The Four Seasons, Aviara Carlsbad, is presenting an Orin Swift Cellars Wine Dinner Thurs. Apr. 29 at 6:30pm. These highly sought after wines will be presented by Orin Swift family member Melissa Leonardini, along with a perfectly paired dinner. $121.91 pp. Call 760-603-6800 for an RSVP.

Quake Rocks Chilean Wines-Argentina OK

by Frank Mangio
On Saturday February 27, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Chile leaving 800 dead and wiping out 125 million liters or 12.5% of Chile’s respected wine industry (mostly cabernet) with estimates of a 250 million dollar loss. Most of the 288,000 acres affected were up and down the wine making corridor between the capital of Santiago in the north to near the epicenter at Concepcion, Chile’s 2nd largest city, in the south. Damage was extensive to the infrastructure of the vineyards and wineries leaving “millions of liters” of barreled wine on the floor as the country prepared for the new harvest.

By some miracle of nature, the actual grape vines had not been affected and picking and de-stemming is moving forward as the 5th largest importer of wine in the world gets back to making great reds at value prices, according to the Chilean Association of Wineries.

“Work has been re-established and bottle lines are in generally good condition,” said Rene Marino, President of the organization. Meanwhile Argentina, separated from Chile by the Andes Mountains, escaped the shock.
Chile’s leading winery, Casa Lapostolle is shown de-stemming its Merlot harvest after the country’s devastating earthquake of February 27th

Jim Barrasso, the affable owner of Firefly Grill and Wine Bar in Encinitas and a firm believer in the Chilean-Argentinian wine story, was set to fly into Santiago Chile, then on to Argentina, for the vineyard tour of a lifetime. 24 hours before the earthquake struck I shook his hand and wished him the best on his trip and requested a story on his travels, never dreaming of what was to happen.

“We found out about it when we got the call that all flights were cancelled into Chile. Scheduling was adjusted so that we were able to get into Santiago’s airport 10 days later. It was still heavily damaged and operating out of tents,” he recalled. A connector flight to Argentina was set up a day later and they were finally in the biggest producer of wine in South America and the maker of the now-famous Malbec wines.

“I always wanted to go there and had to scramble to get winery visits adjusted for private tours and tastings,” he told me. “The winemakers and owners were even more hospitable after the ordeal of the earthquake. We tasted lots of Malbec, the most popular wine in Argentina’s biggest wine district, Mendoza.

Jim Barrasso of Firefly in Encinitas, with Denise Cerelli, tastes Argentina Wines at Catena Zapata with winemaker Celeste Pesce, shown on the right.

The altitude averages 5 to 7,000 feet, which makes Malbec thrive,” he pointed out. He named Catena Zapata as one of his favorites, with its widespread, highly focused source vineyards and over a century of family experience. I recently tasted the 2006 Catena Cabernet and found it to be an aromatic, taste-filled berry and spice red, right up there with the premium cabs of Chile. You can learn more about Catena by accessing www.catenawines.com. For the latest on Chile’s recovery, access www.winesofchile.org.

California Wine Festival comes to Dana Point

This Doheny State Beach located wine festival, planned for Saturday April 24 from 1 to 4pm is a hybrid to the celebrated California Wine Festival in Santa Barbara that will happen Thursday July 15 through Saturday July 17th. The Dana Point event also has Thursday and Friday parts to it. A Taste the Future with sustainable seafood and wine tasting happens on Thursday evening April 22 at the Ritz-Carlton Resort Hotel; and a Rare and Reserve Tasting is Friday evening April 23 with elegant food pairings at the Dana Point Yacht Club. Both are from 6:30 to 9pm. Saturday’s Doheny Beachside Wine Festival features unlimited tasting of fine wine and foods plus regional craft brews. The event is on a grassy area with lots of shade.

You can combine events and get entrance privileges for discount pricing or order an “All Gold VIP Pass” so you don’t miss anything. Call for full details at 800-595-4849 or check it out at www.californiawinefestival.com.

Wine Bytes
The Zinfandel Associates and Producers ( ZAP) has a Zin Tasting event at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach Sun. Apr. 18 from 4 to 7pm. Some 40 wineries, many from Sonoma and Paso Robles, will be pouring. A culinary competition will offer samples for all guests. Tickets are $49. ea. and can be obtained at www.zinfandel.org or call 530-274-4900.

R&R Wine Marketing presents a Spring Portfolio Tasting Mon. Apr. 19 from 6 to 8pm at Loungesix on the Hotel Solamar Rooftop Terrace, downtown San Diego. Meet winemakers and owners, taste current release wines and sample Hors d’oeuvres. $20. entrance fee. RSVP at 619-221-8024.

Bordeaux style Lucas & Lewellen wines are the featured star wines at a special dinner at Thee Bungalow in Pt. Loma Wed. Apr. 12 at 6:30pm. Owner Louis Lucas will be there. 5 course meal and wines for $59.95. Reservations 619-224-2884.

Lewis Cellars wines are spotlighted in a special wine dinner at Amaya in the Grand Del Mar Resort Fri. Apr. 23 from 5:30 to 10pm. Dennis Bell from Lewis will present the wines. Amaya chef Camron Woods has prepared an eventful 4 course menu to match the wines. $70. pp. Call 858-314-1988 for an RSVP.

Wineries are on the Road Again

by Frank Mangio
Call it a sign of the times or more wineries than ever taking to the road to show and offer their wines, but the invitations are pouring in to attend well-orchestrated events spotlighting wine countries in California and elsewhere.

A few favorites came to Southern California in the last couple of weeks: Family Winemakers of California and the Napa Valley Vintners, showcased in San Diego, and the Howell Mountain Wine Tasting in Los Angeles.

Family Winemakers represents hundreds of small production wineries in California who pride themselves in seeking the highest quality out of their grapes. The association, led by Veronica Barclay, leads the group in keeping a level playing field for its members. “We recently were able to help defeat the proposed per-drink taxation that no doubt would have meant a price increase for most California wines,” she said.
Michael Riboli of Riboli Family Estates, pours his new releases at the Family Wine Event in Del Mar.

Some wines that I favored included: Riboli Family 2007 Petite Sirah, ZD and its 2007 Pinot Noir Carneros, O’Shaughnessy Estate’s 2006 Cabernet Blend, Tercero’s 2007 Granache and Tablas Creek with its 2007 Granache Paso Robles.

The day after Family Winemakers, we joined the Howell Mountain Wine Tasting at the largest car museum in the world, the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. This appellation is at the northern heights of Napa Valley. All wineries are at 1,400 feet or higher. Cooler spring temperatures and hotter summers produce fruit that has a greater balance between sugar and acidity, achieving complex flavors. Some names to know include: Outpost with its 2007 Howell Mountain Zinfandel, Cakebread Cellars 2006 Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet and Highlands 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet.

Barry Waitte of Tamber Bey, left, shows Taste Of Wine Columnist Frank Mangio his latest Napa Valley 2007 Cabernet.

Just a few days ago, the Napa Valley Vintners came in to San Diego with over 125 wineries. The young and legendary were side by side declaring themselves still the champs with their world-beating Cabernets and other quality contenders.

Standouts included: Tamber Bey and its 2007 Yountville Cabernet, Whitehall Lane had a beautiful 2006 Merlot in a stylish new glass top, Darioush also had a 2006 Merlot that stood out ( could it be that Merlot is getting back its mojo?) and Staglin with its 2006 Rutherford Cabernet was drawing a big crowd.

Certainly I rank the Napa Valley and its 400 or so wineries, producing 4% of the wines in California but 34% of sales, still the most renowned in the golden state.

Wine Bytes
San Diego State University has a Dynamic Wine and Food pairing class Saturday Apr. 10, 9-4:30pm at the Wine and Culinary Center on Harbor Drive, San Diego. It’s part of their certification program. For up to date information call 619-594-6924.

Belle Marie Winery in Escondido is hosting a Healthy Wine and Food seminar Sat. Apr. 10, 2 – 4pm. It includes wines samples and recipes to take home. Cost is $25. Details and RSVP at 760-796-7557.

Café Merlot at the Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo is celebrating a Grand Re-Opening Tues. Apr. 13 from 11-4pm. Free tastes of the current menu plus new samples with free Champagne and other beverages. Prizes, giveaways and raffles for free classes and wine dinners top the day. RSVP at 858-592-7785.

Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido has an Ecluse Wine Tasting Thurs. Apr. 15 from 5:30 – 7:30pm. It’s from the west side of Paso Robles featuring Rhone varietals. $10. in advance. $15. at the door. RSVP at 760-745-1200.

Rhythm and Vine, San Diego’s music, wine and food festival to benefit Boys and Girls Clubs is set for Sat. Apr. 17 at 6pm at Escondido’s Westfield North County Mall. $75. in advance, $100. at the door. Special VIP pricing. www.rhythmandvine.org.

Meet the Chefs of Del Mar is Sun. Apr. 18 from 1 - 4pm at the Hilton Del Mar. 15 different restaurants and their celebrity chefs participate to benefit Casa de Amparo. Fine wines and champagne included in the $125. ticket. VIP treatment for $185. Check it out at 760-754-5500 or visit www.casadeamparo.org.